Fairy Tale or Nightmare?
by abcRainbowPie
Summary: Demyx is put in a boarding school for witches, warlocks, fairies, and anything else that falls in that category. At first everything seems like it will all just go downhill, but that's until he gets to really know his roommate and new friends. Maybe this nightmare will become a fairy tale. Demyx/Zexion, side Axel/Roxas.
1. Placement Test

"Do I have to be here?" Demyx asked his mother as she stepped out of the car and closed her door. They were currently standing next to their parked car in a parking lot full of other cars and people walking from them to the building and back, bags and luggage in hand. The building was a boarding school that Demyx had been enrolled in without knowing. But it wasn't a normal boarding school. It was a school for 'special kids,' kids from the world of magic and fairytale creatures.

"Yes, you do. Now come get your things," he vaguely heard his mother said as he watched the other students and listed them off as what they appeared to be. _'Witch, warlock, um, not sure. Oh a fairy. What's he? Is he a werew-' _his thoughts were cut off as his mother called his name from where she stood by the trunk.

He quickly went to her side and reached into the car to grab a couple of his bags. Turning around he almost dropped what he had in his hands. Standing there was a man who hadn't been there a few seconds ago. He had short blonde hair slick back and wore a long white coat over his pants, shirt, and tie. A red scarf was loosely around his neck and rested on his shoulders.

"Oh, uh, hello," Demyx managed to say through his shock. He knew who this man was. His name was Ansem the Wise. The blonde had seen the man in the school pamphlet, he was the school's headmaster.

"Hello," Ansem said back with a welcoming smile. He then looked around the area, scanning the people. "Where is that boy?" he said to himself. "I sent him out here to help new students. Seems he didn't bother to come." Turning back to look at Demyx he said, "I'll help you to your room then."

Before Demyx could say anything, everything went dark around them. Demyx closed his eyes on instinct then opened them again as light hit his eyelids. Blinking he looked around and saw that Ansem had taken him and his mother along with all his bags – even the ones they hadn't taken out of the car yet – to a room with two beds. There was a boy sitting on one of the beds watching them. Demyx put the bags he had down by his feet as he looked at the boy.

"Ah, there you are," Ansem said to the boy. "You know the least you could have done was find your roommate."

"Whatever," the boy said with a sigh.

Shaking his head slightly, Ansem turned to Demyx. "This will be your room for your time being here. Excuse your roommate, he's not great but he'll do."

"What's that suppose to mean?" the boy asked, irritation hinted in his voice.

"It means exactly what you want it to mean," Ansem said back without even looking at the boy. "Please make yourself at home," he said now addressing Demyx again. "The welcoming ceremony will begin in an hour. I expect to see you both there." With that he disappeared through black smoke that seemed to have swallowed him whole.

"Okay," Demyx's mother said and turned to her son. "You have everything you need right?" she asked and put her hands on Demyx's shoulders.

"Yes," he answered.

"Good. Now remember to just be yourself and you're sure to make friends in no time. And make sure to call every now and then, okay? I'll send you letters to check up on you," she said then hugged Demyx. Kissing his cheek she said, "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too," Demyx said quietly, feeling the other boy's eyes watching him.

"Bye," his mother said and kissed his forehead before turning and leaving out the door.

Demyx sighed now that his mother was gone. Not because he didn't care for her and wished she leave him alone but because he was getting embarrassed. At the sound of light laughing he turned to look at his new roommate.

"What's so funny?" he asked and felt his cheeks flush slightly in embarrassment.

"Nothing," the boy said with a shrug. "But it was a bit amusing watching your mother embarrass you."

"Shut up," Demyx said and picked up a bag in each hand. Walking to the unoccupied bed he said, "I'm sure your mother did the same to you."

"Nope."

"Huh?" the blonde asked and turned to look at the other. "So you weren't embarrassed when your mother or father dropped you off here?"

"No I wasn't," the boy answered and flipped the pages of a book. "But that's because I wasn't dropped off. In fact I've never even met my parents before in my life."

"Really?"

"Yup," he said and paused to read a page before turning more pages. "It doesn't bother me though."

"Oh," Demyx said and tilted his head to try and see the cover of the book the boy held, but before he could read the title the words were gone, leaving a blank cover front and back. He was confused, but didn't question it. Instead he turned back to his bags on his bed and opened one all the while asking, "So what's your name?"

"Zexion," the boy said. "What's yours?"

"Demyx," the blonde said. "How long have you been at this school?"

"A few years," Zexion answered. "I can show you around if you'd like."

"Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks," Demyx said with a smile.

"Okay, follow me," Zexion said and closed his book and set it down on his bed before going to the door. He opened it and stepped out of the room, not bothering to wait for the other. Demyx quickly went to catch up, leaving his bags on the bed and floor. Turned out he didn't have to catch up since Zexion had waited outside the door. Students were going down the hall, all of them male, with bags in hand and occasionally checking the numbers on the doors.

As Demyx closed the door to the room Zexion started down the hall. The blonde followed him until they reached a spiral staircase and went down the steps. By the looks of it they had been on the top floor since the stairs only went down. They passed a floor landing before continuing down and coming to the main floor.

"This building is three stories high," Zexion said and stepped to the side of the stairs as to allow others to go up or come down. "There's also a basement and attic, but we're not allowed there."

"Right," Demyx said with a short nod. "Got it."

"The main floor works as a lounge for both dormitories. Boys are here on the left with the rooms on the top two floors and girls on the right the same," he explained to the blonde. Demyx looked around the room and saw all the couches and chairs which were mostly occupied by other students hanging out. There was also a TV that was currently on and a small snack bar. Further away he saw another staircase which he figured led to the girls' rooms.

"There's a lot of other students here, aren't there?" Demyx asked.

"Yup," Zexion answered. "The ages range from 12 to 18. Sometimes there's a student or two younger than 12 but only under certain circumstances. Come on, I'll show you where the classes are." He led Demyx down a hall that was connected to the middle of the lounge. There weren't as many students this way which was nice. There were a few adults going around which Demyx figured were the teachers. One with long blonde hair had gone by and greeted them before continuing down the hall. Demyx instantly hoped he didn't have the man as a teacher since he gave off a bit of a creepy vibe.

After being shown where all the classes were, Demyx was led back to the lounge. On their way there a small blonde bounded over to them with a smile. He started walking with them and Demyx eventually slowed down, confused.

"Um," he started. "Who're you?"

"Oh right," Zexion said and stopped walking as the blonde did the same. He turned to Demyx and said, "This is Roxas. He's a siren so he doesn't talk much."

"Oh," Demyx said then took in the other blonde's appearance. Just like most if not every tale Demyx has heard of sirens the boy had a physical charm that could easily pass as beauty. He understood why he wouldn't talk much but was just a bit curious of what a siren's voice sound like. He was pulled out of his thoughts as a bell started to ring. "Okay, now what's that?"

"The clock tower bells," Zexion said with a sigh. "It rings at mornings, start of classes, class changes, each meal, and assemblies. In other words it rings almost nonstop and definitely will get on your nerves." At his words Roxas smiled at his side. "Right now it's ringing for the welcoming ceremony. We should go."

* * *

The welcoming ceremony was held in the cafeteria which was outside the lounge and to the left. Across from it was another building the same height as the dormitories but a bit wider. The clock tower was on the front of that building, right above the door.

Crowds of students were coming from both buildings and going into the cafeteria. Roxas had silently left Demyx and Zexion and ran off into one of the crowds to catch up with someone else. As they grow closer to the building, Demyx thought that it would be like any other school cafeteria with tables scattered about. Instead when he entered the room he saw rows of pews facing a raised platform with a pedestal and two tables. Adults were seat at the tables and Ansem stood at the pedestal. Students filled the seats.

Zexion took Demyx's arm and pulled him to walk down between the pews until they found two available seats. Once everyone was seated, the doors were closed, cutting off the light they let in and silencing the students' conversations. The room wasn't dark for two long before the candles in the chandeliers and on the walls were lit.

"Welcome students," Ansem said loud enough for everyone to hear but not enough to be considered yelling. He then went into a small speech about what an honor it is to have so many new students and that a greet school year was promised. He went over the basic rules and introduced the teachers seated behind him. Eventually he said, "Now for the placement test. The order will go from the scores of last year highest to lowest, starting with last year's students. Once they're done we'll start with the new students."

Demyx heard a groan from beside him and turned to see Zexion with his arms crossed and biting his lip. "You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," Zexion answered. "Let's see what hell monster he has for us this year," he said and stood up from his seat as Ansem called his name. He made his way up to the platform and stood beside Ansem. Ansem then raised his hand, making a black portal open. Zexion stepped through the portal and once he was gone it closed and disappeared.

When the portal closed half the candles were blown out, leaving the room slightly dim but lit enough to walk around and see everything. "We'll have each teacher monitor a student or two to move things along," Ansem said and a teacher waved his hand in front of him, creating a small square that worked as a screen. Ansem called more names and students stood from their seats and went up to the platform. He opened a portal for them to go through and with each one that stepped through another teacher made a screen to watch.

"For those who do not know, if you get harmed then make your way to the infirmary immediately after the test. If it's a dangerous injury that needs immediate attention, you will be pulled out of your test and redo it once healed. Once you finish your test you are free to either remain here or go anywhere else on campus," Ansem explained, mostly for the new students.

Demyx was once again confused, this time by what this test was exactly. Apparently other students were just as confused as murmurs filled to room. Everyone instantly quieted as one of the teachers stood – the one monitoring the first screen – and said, "Ansem, there's a problem."

Ansem simply looked over his shoulder at the other man and the screen he was watching. Demyx then realized that Zexion had been the first to start the test and that the man's screen was monitoring his test. Ansem waved his hand and the screen disappeared and reappeared in front of him.

"The injury isn't in need of attention," Ansem said. "Though it does cause a disadvantage, he'll manage."

"But sir," the teacher started.

"Do not underestimate my son," Ansem practically snapped at the man. "He is capable of more than you know." With that he dismissed the screen and put it back in front of the other. The man slowly sat back down and monitored the screen, surprised by what he saw.

After a few more short minutes a portal opened in the back of the room and a few of the students that went for the test came back. Zexion was one of them and instead of going back to his seat like the others he turned and went out the door. Before he left Demyx thought he saw blood on the other's wrist. He wanted to get up and go after the other but remembered he had to wait for his time to test.

He sat there for about an hour or two, watching as students went up when they were called and the screens disappeared only to be replaced with new ones. Eventually most of the students left after their test or with a friend who just finished and the room became emptier. After a while Zexion came back into the room and sat down next to Demyx.

"You're still here?" Zexion asked not looking at the blonde.

"Yeah," Demyx said with a sigh. "What happened to you?" he asked and eyed the bandages now covering Zexion's left wrist.

"My wrist was gashed open," Zexion answered.

"Oh," Demyx muttered and looked at Zexion's wrists more closely. Since his left was covered he couldn't see much but his right wrist had what seemed to be a tattoo of half an open book. "Is that a tattoo?"

Taken aback, Zexion glanced at Demyx before looking at his own wrists. "Oh, no, not really," he said. "There marks to help summon my weapon. Most warlocks and witches have them. Others don't need them. Since my wrist was cut I was unable to use my weapon."

"What exactly is the test?" Demyx asked nervously just as Ansem called his name.

"You'll see," Zexion answered. "Good luck."

Mumbling a 'thanks,' Demyx stood from his seat and went to Ansem's side. A portal was opened in front of him and with Ansem's command to go on he stepped through. It was pitch black for a split second before light hit his eyes. He found himself on a circular platform with nothing but darkness surrounding it.

"Demyx Kiyomizu," a voice said making him jump. He then recognized the voice as Ansem's and relaxed somewhat.

"Oh, uh, hi," Demyx replied nervously. "Where am I?"

"You're at the beginning of your test," Ansem answered. "I'm here to help you through. Now tell me what your element is."

"My element? What does that mean?"

He thought he heard a sigh but wasn't so sure. "Your element is just that. It's the element your best at casting. So which is it?"

"Oh right. My element's water," Demyx said.

"Good, that's a nice element. Great for healing spells," Ansem said. "Now know that if you come unable to use your weapon or other spells that water will be the key."

Demyx stood and thought that over. Then thinking back to what Zexion had said asked, "Is that what happened to Zexion? What's his element?"

"You'll have to ask him yourself," Ansem answered. "Now attack your foes."

Demyx opened his mouth to question what foes but before he could a black form walked out from the darkness and onto the platform. A few more from other directions came as well and they all made their way to Demyx. He quickly thought of a spell and casted it on one of the creatures.

"Where is your weapon?" Ansem asked.

"Um, I don't have one?" Demyx answered and attacked another creature. This time the sigh was definitely there and not imagined.

"Let's see," Ansem said and suddenly the creatures stopped coming to Demyx and the blonde's necklace rose, the charm of a sitar floating out so he can see it. "This saw be your weapon." Before Demyx could argue a flash of light hit his eyes. Feeling something fall into his hands he opened his eyes and saw a fancy – well it was much better than his at home – sitar in his hands. His necklace fell back to his chest. "If you should ever need it your necklace will help summon your weapon. Now let's test it."

This time as the creatures started towards him he strummed the instrument causing two of the creatures to fall back soaked. Attacking them again they vanished and he turned to attack the others. Once they were all gone Ansem's voice was heard again.

"Are you ready for the final part of your test?"

"Yeah."

"Very well. Go up the steps." At his words, stain glass stairs appeared, starting at the edge of the platform and up to somewhere unknown. Slowly, he made his way to the first step and started up them. Suddenly he stopped and took a few steps back only to have his back hit something. "There's no turning back now."

Turning around, Demyx saw what he meant. The steps he had gone up were gone now, leaving darkness gaping between the one he was on and the platform he had been on. Taking a deep breath he started back up the steps, looking over his shoulder to see them disappear behind him. Continuing up led him to another platform. He walked to the center of it, wondering what he had to do here.

"Beware of the shadows," Ansem said. "Even yours is dangerous."

Before he could ask for an explanation Demyx was left alone. He could tell Ansem left by the sudden emptiness the darkness now held. That emptiness was soon filled as he sensed something behind him. Turning around he saw a huge black creature. He quickly summoned his sitar and prepared to fight.

* * *

By the time the test was done with Demyx felt completely worn out. A portal had opened in front of him when he was done and he went through it, coming back to the cafeteria.

"Hard time?" a voice asked and he turned to see Zexion leaning against the wall.

"Yeah," Demyx said with a sigh and went over to the wall. He leaned against it and put his head back. "I'm completely swamped."

"Let's go back to our room then," Zexion said. "We should get some rest."

"Okay," Demyx agreed and followed Zexion back to their room.


	2. First Day

Demyx didn't bother to unpack anything when he got back to his room. Instead he just fell onto his bed and pulled the covers over himself.

"Aren't you going to change into something more comfortable?" Zexion asked and Demyx opened his eyes to look at him only to close them once seeing that the other was undressing.

"I'm too tired to," he mumbled and turned over to his other side. He heard Zexion sigh followed by the sound of him get in his own bed.

* * *

The next thing he knew, Demyx was having dreams of the creatures he had fought during his test. Eventually the dreams turned around and became nightmares. He started to toss and turn in bed all the while whimpering to himself until it became too much and he woke with a start. He was breathing hard and tried to catch his breath, only to have it stop completely at what he saw in the room.

It was the middle of the night and dark, so what he was seeing could be just a trick of his mind and the darkness. But there in the room stood the same creatures he had just awoken from. Most of them just stood there while others lashed out at the air in front of them. Though they weren't bothering either him or Zexion, Demyx was still afraid.

He didn't know what to do, so he just called across the room as a way to wake Zexion up. Despite his raised voice, the creatures remained where they were. The blonde called for his roommate to wake up again. Luckily this time Zexion sat up and looked at him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"T-those creatures! They're here," Demyx tried to explained and pointed to where the creatures were, only to see they were gone. "Or they were…"

Zexion glanced to where Demyx was looking before saying, "I'm sorry. You probably just imagined them. It's not uncommon for other students. Try to go back to sleep." With that he lied back down and pulled the covers over him. Demyx blinked at the darkness of the room before lying back down and closing his eyes, wondering if more of the school year will give him nightmares.

* * *

Demyx was woken up by his shoulder being shaken. He tried to ignore it, but as he did it became more harsh. He rolled to the other side of the bed to get away, only to have it follow him. He heard an unfamiliar voice above him and quickly sat up with a start. Unfortunately that caused him to fall off the bed, having already been so close to the edge. After regaining himself from the fall, he got up to his knees and looked to see who had woken him.

Sitting on his bed was a tall redhead who he recognized as someone he saw with Roxas the day before. He glared at the redhead before standing to his feet. "Who are you and why are you in my room?" he asked.

"Just getting our little friend up and ready to go," the redhead answered and gestured to the other side of the room where Zexion stood dressed, Roxas on his bed. "Name's Axel," he said looking back at Demyx. "Oh, and this is for you."

He picked up a neatly folded paper off the side table and handed to Demyx. The blonde took and unfolded it, looking it over. It was his class schedule along with a list of things he'd need for them. "H-hold on, I don't have any of these things," Demyx said as he realized that. He hadn't even known he needed them.

"Relax," Axel said and leaned back, his hands behind his head. "You get your first two classes free to get what you need. There's a student shop here on campus. We're here to take you there."

"Oh, thanks," Demyx said and looked back at the paper.

"I don't see why you need me," Zexion spoke up. "I already have everything I need. Plus I'd much rather get to class."

"Yeah right," Axel said and rolled his eyes. "Besides, without you, who's gonna keep Marluxia and Larxene away from Namine?"

At that, Zexion's shoulders tensed and he glared at the floor. Demyx didn't know why that had bothered him, and didn't plan to ask why, not wanting to get into it too much. Especially since he didn't even know Zexion very well yet, much less the boy's fighting element. Which reminded him that he wanted to ask.

"Hey Zexion," he called to get his attention. Once he did he asked, "I was just wondering, what's your element?"

"Are you serious?" Axel exclaimed from the bed. "You've already spent one night with him and you haven't figured it out yet?" he asked only to have Demyx shake his head. "Interesting," he mused. "Well how about we keep you wondering until you do figure it out. That should be fun."

"What?" the blonde asked in return. "That's not fair!"

"Actually, I like the sound of that," Zexion said. "And if you can't figure it out by our training class, then you'll find out."

"Fine," Demyx said, his shoulders slumping. "I still don't think it's entirely fair."

"Yeah yeah, now get dressed so we can go," Axel said and stood from the blonde's bed. He left the room, Zexion and Roxas following.

Demyx pulled himself to his feet and went to his bags. He opened one and pulled clothes to change into out. He changed his clothes and glanced at the rest of his things. He figured he could unpack once he got back after classes and quickly left the room as to not keep the others waiting.

Once with the others, they took him to the shop Axel had mentioned. It was in the same area of the classes, a room he hadn't noticed when Zexion showed him where the classrooms were. The shop was fairly crowded with other students as they went back and forth to get what they needed.

Zexion sighed at Demyx's side, running a hand through his hair. "This is a reason why I didn't want to come," he said. "I hate crowds like this." Roxas came to his side then and handed him a backpack. "Oh, right," he said and turned to Demyx. "Here, take this. You'll need it to carry your things."

"I already have a bag though," Demyx said.

"Yeah, but this bag is charmed," Axel said and took the bag from Zexion. "You can fit pretty much anything and everything in here. Even a person. Trust me, I know. I've put Roxas in one of these before."

"Do I want to know?" Zexion asked the redhead.

"Probably not," Axel answered with a smirk. "Point is, this bag will come in handy," he said and handed it to Demyx who in turn looked inside.

"Great, he has a bag, can I go now?" Zexion asked and crossed his arms.

"You've only just got here though," a voice said and Demyx looked up to see a male teen with pink hair and sharp blue eyes. He noticed Zexion tense up beside him and wondered if this was one of the people Axel mentioned earlier.

"Leave me alone Marluxia," Zexion said with a glare. "I'm not ready to put up with you."

"That's harsh Zexion," the other said and put a hand on his chest. "I only just wanted to talk to you."

"Bullshit," Zexion muttered. Demyx thought that would have been the end of it and that Marluxia would just walk away, but suddenly an amused look crossed the pink-haired teen's face and Zexion's body jumped by the blonde's side. "Stop it!" he yelled at Marluxia.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You're stupid vines!" Zexion answered. "Get them off my leg!"

At that, Demyx glanced down to look at his roommate's legs and saw by his foot a vine coming from the ground and going up into the leg of his pants. He heard Marluxia sigh and say, "Oh fine," before seeing the vine quickly go back into the ground, leaving no sign it was ever there.

"I was only teasing you," Marluxia said.

"It was assault," Zexion claimed.

"No my dear," the other said. "It was just practice. I have to admit I'm curious to see how you'll manage without your weapon," he said while looking at the bandages on Zexion's wrist. "I'm looking forward to it," he said with a smirk before turning and walking further into the store.

Not waiting for even five seconds after he was gone, Zexion said, "I'm leaving," and left the store. Demyx wanted to ask if he was okay, but he didn't get the chance. Instead he turned to Axel and asked, "Was that normal?"

The redhead turned his attention from something on the shelves to look at the blonde. "Hm? Oh yeah, it is. Those two absolutely hate each other, or so they make it seem that way. I swear if Zexion stopped fighting with Marluxia for five minutes he'd get kissed. Oh, and don't joke about Zexion liking Marluxia or vice versa unless you want him to stop talking to you for a week."

"Now come on, we need to get our things," he said and took Demyx's left arm as Roxas took his right and he was pulled further into the shop.

* * *

By the time the three of them had all their things for class, it was almost time for their third class. They were only given the first two classes off to get what they needed and possibly used to the campus, so they had no other choice than to go to class. Fortunately Demyx shared the class with Axel and Roxas so they showed him the way to the gymnasium, where their current class would be held. From the looks of his schedule, Demyx realized that this class was the training class.

Remembering what Axel and Zexion had said this morning made him a bit happier about the thought of a training class – which he had no idea what to think of. Were they going to fight? And if they were, was it going to be against another student or more creatures? He hoped that there'd be no more monsters to fight. And he hoped that Marluxia wouldn't be there to bother Zexion. At least he'd get to find out the boy's element. That was something to look forward to.

When they walked through the gymnasium doors, their clothes changed from what they had been wearing to swim shorts and white t-shirt. As Axel and Roxas kept walking, Demyx quickly stopped in a state of panic and looked down at himself.

"H-hey! Where'd my clothes go?" he asked louder than he meant to, but did manage to catch his friends' attention.

"Relax," Axel said and walked back to the blonde. "The doorway puts us in the right clothing for the day's class. The interior of the room also changes with each class," he explained. "Looks like today we'll be swimming," he said and gestured to the big pool that took up half of the room.

At the mention of swimming Demyx easily perked up. "Yes! I love swimming!"

"I hate it," he heard Zexion's voice at his side and jumped, not noticing the boy come up to them.

"Zexion," Axel said sternly. "Stop doing that to us, you're bound to give one of us a heart attack."

Regaining himself, Demyx looked to his roommate and asked, "Why don't you like swimming?"

"I almost drowned once," Zexion answered and crossed his arms. "Or twice, maybe three times. It was never a good experience and having it happen that many times is enough for me to despise going in water."

"You've almost drowned three times?" Demyx question.

"The third time wasn't my fault!" he exclaimed. "Marluxia _held_ me under water. Bastard."

Demyx was going to comment on that, but a whistle cut him off before doing so. All their attention was drawn to the teacher who stood in front of the pool and was calling the class to gather. As they walked over to join the others, Demyx noticed Marluxia was in the class and internally groaned to himself. He already didn't like the other teen.

"Okay, so here's what we'll be doing this class," the teacher said once the class was gathered in one spot. "I'll have two students go into the water where you'll have to retrieve six rings. Thing is, your elements or special talents will be working against you. So good luck. First we have Zexion and Namine," he said, checking something off his clipboard as a blonde girl walked up to the pool's edge. The teacher gave her a small bottle that she quickly swallowed the contents of. She then sat down, her legs in the water, before pushing herself in and disappearing out of sight.

Zexion went up to the teacher as the rest of the class started to disperse into smaller groups. As he got a bottle from the teacher and drank whatever was inside, Demyx walked over to his side. "Hey wait," he said as Zexion sat on the pool's edge. "You said you'd tell me your element by now."

"I did didn't I?" he said and looked up at the blonde.

"So what is it?" Demyx asked, curious more than ever now.

"I'm an illusionist," Zexion stated simply before pushing himself into the water.

Demyx stood there mostly in awe and shock. An illusionist, he's heard of them before of course – who hasn't – but they're completely rare to come across. Illusions were such a hard element to use, much less master or control them. Most people who attempt to cast an illusion spell usually have it back fire or have it not even work at all. It has to be your element in order to use it because your element reflects who you are. It usually links to a strong interest – like how much Demyx enjoys water – or personality.

What's been said about illusionists is that they have a secret they're keeping from everyone. Usually it's a back story they wish no one would ask or find out about or something they don't like about themselves. There was one thing he had read once about the warlocks and witches that use illusions. It had said that it's believed that they're all demon decedents, but use their powers to cover up their appearances. It was never proven true of course, but the thought of it always freaked Demyx out. And to think that his roommate was an illusionist, well he really didn't know what to think.

"Stay away from the water," the teacher said and held an arm up in front of Demyx as to get him to back up. The blonde did and went to find Axel and Roxas. They weren't too hard to find, Axel was taller than most and his hair was easily noticeable.

"Hey Dem," Axel greeted him as he walked up to them. Roxas gave him a gentle smile in acknowledgement. "You seem nervous about something."

"It's nothing, I'm just not used to this much magic going on," he half lied. It was true that he wasn't use to it, but he was still trying to get the thought of Zexion being an illusionist to wrap around his mind. "Would you be able to explain to me what this is?"

"I'm not sure exactly," the redhead said and put a hand to his chin, "we haven't done this before. I guess it's supposed to help us practice using our elements. Though I don't know how my element will work against me, fire can't be used in water."

At that, Roxas held up his hands and moved them in a way Demyx didn't understand. At first he thought he was going to cast a spell and panicked, but then remembered that the smaller blonde was a siren, not a warlock. Once his hands were done moving Axel said, "Hm, maybe, but I think I can handle that."

"Wait," Demyx said, confused. "What just happened? What are you talking about?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Roxas uses sign language to talk to me and Zex," Axel explained. "He said that with my element being fire that the water might just get hot."

"Oh, I guess I should learn sign language?" Demyx muttered, not really meaning to be heard.

"You don't have to," Axel said. "I'm sure Zexion or I can help translate it for you if you need. Plus Roxas carries a notepad to talk to others who don't know sign language. There's other ways too, you can use your phone keyboard or whatever."

"Okay, that's good to know," the blonde said. He then chose to look around the room. Still by the poolside was the teacher, two screens like the ones they used at the welcoming ceremony in front of him. Demyx figured that was the easiest way to grade their performance. He watched him close one screen as the blonde girl pulled herself out of the pool. The teacher then called out another student's name. His eyes then fell on Marluxia, standing with a couple other students.

"So what's the deal between Zexion and Marluxia?" he asked.

Axel pulled himself out of his thoughts and turned to the blonde. "Honestly, I have no clue. It's always been like that, for as long as I've known either one of them," he answered with a shrug as he rubbed the back of his neck. "All I know is that they can't even stand to be in the same room, with the exception of classes." As he spoke, Roxas had walked off and came back with a towel in hand. He gave it to Axel who in turn handed it to Demyx. "How 'bout you go give this to Zexion," he said once Demyx took the towel.

Demyx did, walking over to the boy who had just gotten out of the pool. He glanced up as Demyx approached him, taking the towel when the blonde handed it to him and muttering, 'thanks.' As he used the towel to dry off, Demyx couldn't help but look at how the white t-shirt was clinging to the boy's body. He only tore his gaze away once Zexion started walking away. Demyx followed him to an empty bench pushed against the wall.

They remained silent as Zexion used the towel – now over his shoulders – to dry his hair and Demyx watched the other students in the room. As the teacher called their names for their turn to go into the pull, he watched for the student to go up and try to learn their names and appearances.

"I'm sorry about last night," Zexion said suddenly.

Demyx glanced over at him, confused and taken aback. "Why? What'd you do?" he asked slowly.

"The creatures you said you saw in our room, it wasn't your imagination," Zexion explained. "They were illusions. Sometimes my dreams or nightmares become too much and my powers make them appear. So what you saw last night was a nightmare of mine. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you or anything. I have no control over it."

"It's fine," Demyx reassured. "At least now I know what the reason for it was. So is that why they disappeared when I woke you up?" he asked and Zexion nodded.

"You say it's fine now, but my dreams tend to get out of hand," Zexion said and played with the hem of his wet shirt, his eyes on the floor. "That's why I haven't had a roommate for the past five years. They all asked for a new room at one point." Something in his voice made Demyx feel bad for him. He figured it must have been upsetting to always have someone leave for something you can't control.

"I won't leave you," Demyx said before thinking. Zexion glanced up at him and seemed ready to argue, but Demyx cut him off. "I promise," he said and put his hand on one of Zexion's right before the teacher called his name and he stood up.


	3. Drowning

As Demyx walked up to the teacher's side he was handed a small bottle he noticed the other students had also been given. Taking it, he looked it over in his hands and asked, "What's this for?"

"It'll help you breathe under water for a limited time," the teacher answered and checked the teen's name off the clipboard. "That time being a full hour. Try to make the most of it."

"Right, I have one question," Demyx said and opened the bottle. He didn't drink it yet, not wanting to possibly waste any of his time.

"What is it?"

"My element is water. How is this going to affect me?"

"Guess we'll find out," the teacher answered and pushed the blonde's shoulder to get him moving.

Demyx sighed and swallowed down the small amount of liquid from the bottle before sitting down and pushing himself into the water. As soon as he was in he glanced up and behind him but saw no sign of the pool or gym he had previously been in. He figured the pool was charmed just like the door had been. Realizing he was holding his breath, he let it out and took a hesitant breath in expecting to choke on water but found it as if he was still on land. Thinking back to what the teacher had instructed them to do once in the water, he looked around for a ring.

Off in the distance he saw a small silver hoop and moved to go get it, but found it hard to move. He tried again but had the same problem. It was as if the water wasn't even water anymore. It felt like how Demyx imagined trying to move through jell-o would feel like, except for the texture.

He forced his hands out in front of him and tried to pull himself forward only to fail. He had barely moved and doing the movement over again wouldn't have much effect. He looked around again, struggling with the movement of his head. Nearby was a plant that was completely still in the odd water. He reached for it and was able to grab onto it. He then pulled himself towards it which in turn helped him move. He did it again with another plant and other objects such as large rocks until he got to the silver ring.

Demyx grabbed the ring and pulled it close to him. As he put it on his arm to carry it all the while keeping his hands free, he looked around for the next ring and noticed it seemed easier to move now. He didn't put too much thought into it and went to go get the second ring, doing what he had done to retrieve the first.

By the time he got the second and third rings, it was obvious that it was now easier to move through the water. He figured that the more rings he gathered it'd help him. That being, it was still a bit difficult to move around. He was able to get the fourth and fifth ring without a problem, but as he started to go after the sixth, he started to have trouble breathing. He tried to move faster but was having some trouble focusing while also trying not to drown.

Never once throughout his life had he ever come close to drowning even with the amount of time he spent in the water. He never imagined what it would feel like and never cared to, but now that he was close to experiencing it he couldn't get the thought out of his head. What if he couldn't get the last ring and back to the surface in time? Was the feeling going to worsen? He hoped he'd manage okay. And to think if what Zexion had said was true then no wonder he hated water so much.

The final ring lied on the floor and Demyx used what was around him to get himself to it. Once he was close enough he grabbed it and immediately he felt the water go to its normal state. Quickly, he kicked his feet off the ground and swam up. As soon as he surface he was back in the gym's pool and coughing to get the water out of his throat. Once he felt okay, he put his hands on the pool edge and pulled himself out. He noticed the rings he had collected were no longer on his arm and momentarily wondered why.

He sighed and pulled himself to his feet and started to walk away. He was greeted with Axel, Roxas, and Zexion, who gave him a towel. He instantly used it to dry himself off, for once in his life wishing to be dry rather than wet. He never wanted to come close to drowning ever again.

"You okay?" he heard Axel ask and looked up.

"Yeah, now I am," he answered with a sigh. "I think I almost drowned," he said and half expected Zexion to make a comment on that but the boy remained silent.

"What's your element?" the redhead questioned.

"Water. It was almost impossible to swim though," Demyx said. "Have you two gone yet?" he asked noticing Axel and Roxas's still dry clothes.

"No, the class is over in five. The teacher was just waiting for you and Marluxia to finish up before leaving. Whoever didn't do it today will have to do it tomorrow. Come on, we should get going to our next class." With that Axel turned and started towards the door, Roxas right beside him.

Zexion started to follow and Demyx quickly moved to catch up with him. "How did your element work against you?" he asked mostly just to get a conversation going.

"Most of the rings were fakes," Zexion answered simply and kept walking. As they stepped through the door and outside, their original clothes replaced the swim shorts and t-shirts it had put them in upon entering the gym. The towel Demyx had was gone now and both his skin and hair were dry.

"Is everything at this school charmed?" he asked as he looked himself over.

"Yes," was all he got as an answer.

* * *

As they entered the gym the next day, Demyx's clothes were left unchanged as well as Zexion's while Axel and Roxas's changed back to the swim shorts and t-shirt. Axel explained that everyone who had already done the exercise yesterday were free to do whatever they wanted during this time. Demyx was glad for that, but was unsure of what to do. So far he still mostly followed Zexion like a lost puppy – and he was fine with being with him – but ever since yesterday the boy seemed a bit off.

He didn't know if it was because of something he did or said – maybe the drowning comment? – and wasn't really sure how to make sure. He didn't know what to say in the first place. Luckily he didn't have to struggle with conversation since someone else had come up to them and addressed Zexion. Unfortunately at the sound of the other person's voice Demyx knew who exactly it was without even looking and cringed slightly. It was Marluxia who had approached them, along with his two friends he had been with in class the day before.

"Hello Zexion," the teen had greeted upon walking up to them. "I wanted to ask you a question yesterday but you left too quick before I could and from the looks of it seemed to try and avoid me. You weren't trying to avoid me, were you?" he asked and reached forward to gently stroke the side of Zexion's face.

He didn't push away the other's hand right away. "Yes, I was," he said, his tone bored. He ignored the hurt look on Marluxia's face and pushed the hand touching his face away. He turned to walk away but was caught by the wrist.

"Hold it," Marluxia said and pulled Zexion back. "I still have a question for you," he said, getting back to the original reason he came to talk to the other.

"What is it?" Zexion asked.

A smirked crossed Marluxia's lips. "Did you have fun in the water?" he asked, knowing well about the boy's experiences of near drowning. He didn't get a verbal answer. Instead, his side was met with shooting pain as Zexion kicked him. He didn't seem upset by the action but rather amused. "That's more like it," he said with another smirk after quickly recovering from the kick. Without another word he walked away.

Demyx wanted to ask if his roommate was okay, but was unable to as the teacher yelled for Zexion to go to the office. Much like Marluxia, Zexion left without saying anything to do as he was told.

* * *

Zexion didn't come back to class, leaving Demyx as a third wheel with Axel and Roxas. He wouldn't have minded so much if Roxas talked and he knew Axel more, but neither of those ifs were true much to his dismay. He was left alone with Roxas as Axel was called to go into the pool. It was silent of course and while Axel was still gone, Roxas was called next. That then left Demyx completely alone on his bench.

Sighing, he leaned back and closed his eyes. It seemed as if everyone already knew each other and that he was just the new kid, even if there were a ton others at the welcoming ceremony he was sure were just as new as him. He really hoped he can make friends soon or that Zexion's odd behavior would wear off. Demyx didn't know the boy prior of his first day at the school, but he felt as if Zexion was oddly out of character. Maybe he was only acting that way with Demyx around, he didn't know.

"Excuse me?" a gentle voice said above him and he opened his eyes to see a blonde girl standing in front of him, a small shy smile on her lips. "My name's Namine," she said and offered her hand to him. He gingerly took it as she asked, "You're Zexion's roommate, correct?"

"Oh, uh, yes," he answered at the same time trying to think of where he heard her name before. He then thought back to the day before when the teacher called her first to go into the pool along with Zexion and how Axel had mentioned her that morning. He was also wondering why the heck she was talking to him, because by the looks of it, she seemed like one of the more popular girls. There was just something about her that screamed 'I'm popular and well liked.'

"Okay good, so I have the right person after all," she said with a smile causing Demyx to wonder what the connection was between her and Zexion. "I wanted to ask if you already knew of his problem with his dreams or not."

"I know of it," Demyx answered with a nod. "He mentioned it yesterday."

"That's good. Because if not then I was going to do so myself. I just wanted to give you a fair warning since the dreams have caused his past roommates to leave. He doesn't show it, but Zexion's actually afraid of being left alone."

"The dreams don't seem so bad," Demyx said. "One already happened, but I'm fine with it."

"That's just it though," Namine said, sadness slipping into her voice. "There's one dream – nightmare actually – that's the cause of his roommates leaving. I've seen it myself and it is frightening so I understand the others' fear of remaining with him. It's a reoccurring nightmare he's had many times and no doubt will continue to have. I just wanted to let you know and ask for you to please not leave him like the others. It's the last thing he needs."

"Don't worry, I won't. And thanks for the warning," he said. The girl gave one more smile before turning to leave. "Oh, Namine?" he called, stopping her to turn back to him.

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind me asking, but what's the connection between you and Zexion?" Demyx asked his curiosity peaked. Something told him he wouldn't get the answer out of Zexion anytime soon so he figured why not ask Namine?

Another smile and Namine said, "I'm his sister. Not biologically though." With that she left and he watched her walk over to join Marluxia's side. _Wasn't Zexion Ansem's son?_ Demyx wondered to himself. No wonder he got a popular girl vibe from Namine, she was the headmaster's daughter.

* * *

Once classes were done with for the day, Demyx tiredly went to his room and crashed on his bed. Zexion had yet to come back to class since kicking Marluxia. Demyx worried if something happened to him. he had expected to see him in their room, but came to find it empty. Axel had said that he and Roxas would come over to the blonde's room once they were rested from the school day and ready to do homework.

After about an hour and a half, Demyx was awoken from his unexpected nap as a certain redhead opened his door rather loudly. "Look who we ran into in the halls," Axel called to Demyx as Roxas closed the door. Demyx sat up to look at them and saw Zexion by Axel's side.

"Hey," Demyx greeted tiredly. "Where have you been?" he asked and watched as Zexion walked away from the redhead to put his bag on his bed. Roxas went to sit on his friend's bed while Axel sat on the floor, leaning against the foot of the bed.

"I got lectured for about two hours," Zexion answered without looking at the blonde. "Then when that was done with the nurse wanted to check my wrist and after that I had to go to detention. I just finished with detention and was on my way back here when Axel and Roxas came along."

"You got detention just for kicking Marluxia?" Demyx asked.

"There's a rule here about fighting," Axel started, his eyes on Demyx before looking over at Zexion. "And that rule is…" he said, trying to get the other to finish.

"No fighting unless it's part of a training class," Zexion finished with a sigh, giving Demyx the assumption that they have done this before.

"Good boy," the redhead said and put a hand on top of the other's head as Zexion sat down next to him, a book in hand. He ruffled the boy's hair before his hand was pushed away. "And you're not one for fighting or breaking rules. Only when it comes to Marluxia. Detention on the second day of school," he mused. "That's a new record."

"Zexion," Demyx spoke up to get his attention away from the book. "Why do you hate Marluxia so much anyway?" He knew he stepping over the line, but he was too curious to care.

Zexion bit the inside of his lip before answering. "Two things," he said getting Demyx's hopes up. "One, it doesn't fucking matter. And two, never ask again." He went back to the book in his lap and Axel gave Demyx a look that easily said 'Why the fuck would you ask that?'

"I'm sorry," he muttered, upset that he had even asked the question. Axel and Roxas didn't even know the answer, why did he think he could find out?

* * *

For the rest of the afternoon, Axel and Roxas worked on their homework, occasionally asking Zexion for help. Demyx kept to himself, feeling he shouldn't try to include himself. It was clear he had upset Zexion with his last question as well as the other two. So instead he pulled out his iPod and listened to it, pretending to seem okay with not being included with them. He did his own work on his bed, skipping over the problems he had no clue how to solve, much less what they were even asking. By the end of the night most of his papers were blank, only a few questions answered on each page.

Axel and Roxas left ten minutes before the scheduled time to be in your rooms and asleep. Once they were gone, Zexion had gotten up to get ready for bed and Demyx figured he should do so also. He didn't try to say anything to his roommate since he got the feeling Zexion wouldn't talk back. He did momentarily wonder if he should mutter a goodnight, but decided against it when the other got into bed.

He followed suit, climbing in bed and falling asleep only to wake up hours later. It wasn't a nightmare that had woke him up this time, but yelling. Demyx quickly looked around but found no source of the yelling. He couldn't exactly make out the words, but he knew it was two people – males by the sound of it – arguing. He looked around once more and finally realized that the room looked as if underwater with the exception of things floating or feeling wet.

He guessed that this was another one of Zexion's dreams –maybe nightmare, he wasn't sure. The boy was still sleeping in his bed so it was a good guess. A familiar feeling suddenly filled Demyx's throat and lungs and realizing what it was, quickly threw off the covers and ran to the side of Zexion's bed. The yelling voices had quieted, but they were still there. Demyx put his hands on his roommate's side to find him shaking. He quickly tried to wake him up as the feeling in his lungs worsened.

He couldn't yell or else he would've by now. It didn't take much to wake Zexion up though and he was soon sitting up. The horrible feeling left Demyx as well as the yelling and water effect. Zexion was heavily breathing, trying to catch his breath. He made no move to look at Demyx and once his breath was steady, grabbed his bedspread and lied back down, his back to the blonde.

Demyx let out a sigh of relief and stood up straight before going back to his bed and lying down. He was glad that was over with, yet upset that Zexion hadn't even acknowledged him. Before falling back to sleep, his mind wandered back to his conversation with Namine and he wondered what Zexion's occurring nightmare was. He just hoped he'd be able to handle that when and if it happens.


	4. Turning Pages

Not much had happened for the rest of the week. Demyx received a letter from his mom and quickly wrote out a reply and sent it back. Zexion still remained distant from him and there hadn't been any more of his dreams-come-to-life during the week which Demyx was glad for. Marluxia seemed to even back off a little. Now it was the weekend and Demyx had no clue to what to do. What do you do on the weekend at a magical boarding school? What could you do?

Saturday morning he planned to apologize to Zexion for anything he could have done, but when he woke up he found his roommate missing. Thinking that maybe he had already gone to the cafeteria for breakfast, Demyx got himself dressed and ready for the day. Unfortunately when he got to the cafeteria he was only able to find Axel and Roxas who he had come to learn were dating. He thought they made a fine and cute couple –especially by the fact that Axel has never heard Roxas's voice yet still fell in love with him – but he always felt as a third wheel when left with them.

He tried to force that feeling away as he sat down across from the two. "Where's Zexion?" he asked quietly and picking up his fork.

"Probably the library," Axel answered, "but I can't be sure. You never know where he'll run off to."

"Have you seen him this morning?" Demyx asked before taking a bite of his eggs.

"Nope," Axel said and tore apart a warm biscuit. "I actually thought you may have, but I guess not."

"No," the blonde said and shook his head. "He was gone before I woke up. He's not mad at me, is he?"

The redhead raised an eyebrow at the question and looked up at Demyx. "I don't think he is," he answered. "Though I will say he has been acting a bit off. I wouldn't say it's because of you entirely, but more Marluxia." As he said that, he gestured to the side and Demyx followed to see Marluxia. He was sitting at a table with Namine and two others he still didn't know the name of. "Have you met Namine yet?" he heard Axel ask and nodded.

"Right, well I dunno if you know yet, but Namine is Ansem's daughter," Axel went on. "Ansem took Zexion in as his son seven years ago making the two siblings. Namine's currently dating Marluxia, and for some reason I don't know, Zexion's really protective of her. He always says it's because he doesn't want her to get hurt by him. Which I can understand. Marluxia isn't the nicest person or a great influence on someone such as Namine. Same goes for his two friends, Larxene and Luxord."

"Could that possibly be why he doesn't like Marluxia?" Demyx wondered aloud. "That he's a bad influence for Namine?"

"If that was the case then there wouldn't be so much tension between the two," Axel answered. "I think Namine is only a small part of it."

"Oh, okay," Demyx said quietly and went back to eating before asking, "So what are Namine and Marluxia's friends? Do they have elements?"

"Yeah, Larxene has strong power over anything electric but mainly lightning and Luxord can control time," the redhead answered. "As for Namine, she's a memory witch." He looked at Demyx and saw him open and close his mouth as if wanting to say something but deciding not to. "It's a rare power, if that's what you're thinking. Just like Zexion with illusions, completely rare. Ansem got lucky with those two."

"He did," Demyx agreed and went back to eating. The food they had at the school was great – perfect even. It was the kind of breakfast you'd daydream about having and a luxurious vacation. Yet as he ate, Demyx missed the breakfasts his mother made him. It wasn't as good, but for some reason at the same time was better. Maybe because he knew his mother made it with care since she was giving it to her son. Demyx doubted that the cooks in the back cared for any of the students they were serving. He came to the conclusion that having someone you love and loves you in return cook for you would be the best way to be served food. He momentarily wondered what it would be like to be with someone in a strong relationship, but pushed the thought away and asked, "Will you two help me find Zexion after breakfast?"

"Sure," Axel answered without looking up. Stabbing his eggs he took a bite and swallowed before saying, "A little hunt will be fun. Right Rox?" Roxas gave a small nod and smile in return.

* * *

After breakfast, the three agreed where to first look for Zexion. Axel told Roxas to go and check if he had gone back to his room while he and Demyx checked the library. Once the smaller blonde was gone, Axel took Demyx out of the cafeteria and across compass to the library.

The building was three stories, a clock tower – that reached a bit higher than the building – on the front of it above the door. Demyx was having a hard time imagining such a huge building to be full of books. The biggest library he had ever seen in his life was a single story and to think that this was two floors more than that.

Upon entering the front doors of the building, Demyx stopped instantly in silent awe as Axel kept forward. The building was much larger than what he imagined from looking at it from outside. He couldn't see the opposite walls or much of the ones off to the sides and the ceiling rose high into the sky. There weren't floors in the middle of the room – the flooring lined the walls along with the shelves – for each level; instead a large statue occupied the space.

The statue was of a woman – an angel actually. Her body was covered with a marble dress that was carved so fine it looked like silk and Demyx had the urge to touch it. She had wings just like an angel, except one seemed broken while the other was losing feathers to reveal a wing of a demon. The wings were held in close to her body and covered most of her. Her head was down, her long hair falling in front of most of her face. Her hands were in front of her, holding a sword that went straight down and disappeared into the floor. Despite most of her body being covered by her wings and dress, Demyx could clearly see the scars running up and down and across her arms. She looked in defeat despite her tall stance, as if she accepted her defeat and gave into whoever she had fought.

"You like that?" Axel asked, having come back to Demyx's side once realizing he wasn't following him. "It is amazing, isn't it?" he mused and looked up at the statue. Demyx only nodded in answer, his eyes still running over the statue, finding more and more details. "That woman is legendary," Axel went on.

"What is she?" Demyx asked.

"She was an angel," Axel answered. "But she became a demon."

"How?" the blonde asked, suddenly feeling very uneducated.

"You don't much about these things do you?" Axel said in return, amusement obvious in his voice. Demyx only blinked at him, his bottom lip wanting to jut out, but he held it in place by biting it. "I'd tell you the story, but really I think you'd be better off asking Ansem or Zexion. They know it better than I do and would be able to help you understand."

Demyx only sighed at that. He still felt he was a burden to Zexion, but he figured he'd have to talk to the boy eventually. He didn't really want to ask Ansem because then he'd feel like he was wasting the man's time with such a silly thing. Still in thought, he felt Axel's hand come down onto his shoulder. "Don't worry too much about him," he heard him say. "It took me and Rox months to just be considered Zexion's friends. Think of it as a bonding activity," he said and Demyx looked up to see him smirking. Just then the redhead's phone made a small noise from his pocket and he gave Demyx a wink before gently hitting the back of the blonde's head and taking out his phone.

He got a bad feeling of what Axel had meant by 'bonding activity' along with the other's smirk and wink. He finally let his bottom lip go and pouted just as Axel said, "Come on. Back to your room. Roxas said Zexion's there." The redhead turned and walked for the door. Demyx hesitantly followed, having actually wanted to go deeper into the library and see what else was there.

* * *

When they got back to Demyx's room, they found Zexion lying on his bed, his eyes closed. Roxas sat on the opposite side of the bed, a book in his hands as he read it. Another book lied open in front of Zexion, but its pages were turning instead of remaining still. One more thing that happened throughout the week was that Zexion's wrist had fully healed. Now Demyx could see the two halves of an open book marked on his wrists.

"He's asleep?" Demyx asked, quieter than he intended. He didn't understand how his roommate would be asleep so soon in the day. Maybe he didn't sleep well during the night, he wondered to himself.

Axel followed him into the room and let the door fall closed behind him. Looking at his friend on the bed he said, "Unconscious."

The blonde felt sudden panic set in. "Isn't that bad?" he asked, confused by both Axel and Roxas's calmness.

"Normally yes," Axel answered while Roxas kept reading. "But not in this situation. See that book?" he questioned and gestured to the one beside Zexion, the pages still moving. Demyx muttered a small 'yeah' before the redhead continued. "His mind is in it. He can live out a book's plot as the main character and if he wanted, live in the world itself. It's his way of a stress reliever."

"That's cool," Demyx admitted, but felt even guiltier. Was he really a problem for his roommate or was it all because of Marluxia? Maybe he was over thinking it, but he still felt partly responsible.

"It is really," Axel said and sat down on the bed beside Zexion's legs. He held up the front cover of the book – making sure not to close it – to see the title and said, "He can see the place and characters just how the author imagined them when writing the book. Every detail. He can do the same with pictures. He's also the only person to be able to do this. That we know of."

He then gently pulled the book to rest on his open palms. He watched as the pages flipped before quickly slamming the book close. In turn Zexion sat up with a start, his eyes immediately falling on Axel. "You jerk!" he cried out and reached for the book in the redhead's hands while Roxas sat beside him, his eyes no longer reading the book but instead watching the two with amusement. "How many times do I have to tell you _not_ to do that?"

"Don't bother, I'll still do it no matter what you say," Axel said and let the boy take the book from his hands.

"Even if I say I'll put you in Twilight with the covers bolted down the next time you do?" Zexion questioned. "You'll be living the rest of your life as Bella," he said slowly, "over and over." Roxas had put his own book down and tapped Zexion's shoulder to get his attention before moving his hands in sign language. "That's a good idea," Zexion said, agreeing to whatever the blonde had said.

Demyx opened his mouth to question what Roxas had said, but was cut off by Axel. "No way will you put all the books together," he exclaimed. "It'll take forever to get through that. I wouldn't even be able read the series within my life, much less live through it."

"That's your problem with that?" Zexion asked. "Do you even know what happens in the story?"

"Yes," the redhead said quickly before pausing to think and say, "No actually."

"You seriously don't know?" Demyx questioned, the attention on him for the first time since Zexion gained consciousness. It was as if Zexion had just realized he was there, any hint of amusement in his eyes disappearing, and the blonde felt uneasy with him looking at him that way. "I, uh," he started, a stutter having been always one of his bad nervous habits. "I-it's just that the s-series is so popular."

"Maybe where you're from," Axel replied, "but those things aren't that popular around here. The student body isn't too interested in a sparkling vampire and hot werewolf. Especially when most of them have seen the real things and trust me, it's nothing like Twilight."

"So you _do_ know something about it," Zexion said sternly."You fucking liar."

"That's only from what I've heard of it," Axel defended. "Now, oh sweet darling, the reason I closed your book was because Demyx here has been looking for you," he said, now back on topic. Zexion's eyes fell back on Demyx. "I think he wants to talk to you. So with that being, Rox and I will leave you two alone. Come on Rox." With that he stood up, Roxas following, pausing only to set the book he had been reading down on Zexion's bed.

The room remained silent after the door closed behind the two leaving. Zexion picked up Roxas's book and turned to the page where the blonde had folded the page's corner. He mindlessly unfolded it and rubbed the fold with his thumb, watching as it went back to normal. "What do you want?" he asked Demyx, not looking up at him. He checked the page Roxas had been on and remembered the number before closing the book and setting it aside.

"Oh, I, I just want to ask you something," Demyx answered. Zexion finally looked back up at him, giving Demyx the feeling that he wasn't going to talk and he should continue. "You're not upset with me, are you? I mean, if I've done anything to make you mad or anything, I'm sorry. I just wasn't sure if you were mad at me for something. Axel said it was mostly Marluxia bothering you, but still."

"Stop," Zexion said sharply before Demyx could go on. "First of all," he started once Demyx had stopped talking and gave him his attention, "I'm not mad at you. If it's anyone I'm mad at it's Marluxia. I'm more stressed than upset, so I'm sorry if it came off as being mad at you. I still only recently met you so I may be distant at times."

"Okay," Demyx said with a sigh of relief. "I was worried I did something wrong."

"Were you over thinking this?" Zexion asked and received a slow and small nod from the blonde. "Try not to over think things. Over thinking leads to negative thoughts." Demyx took that in and nodded again in understanding. "Good. Well I'm going back to the book. If you need to talk to me, just close it. More carefully than Axel though."

"Got it," Demyx said and watched as his roommate lied back down, the book by his side opening, it's pages flipping.

* * *

Once Zexion was unconscious again, Demyx was left with not much to do. Eventually he decided to go back to the library, wanting to look around that building. He would've asked Zexion to go with him to prevent getting lost, but decided against it and let the boy be by himself. Before leaving the dormitory, Demyx paused to see if he wanted to go and get Axel to come with him. In the end he decided to go alone for two reasons, one, he had no idea where Axel's room was and two, he much rather go alone.

So walking pass the other students in the lounge, he stepped outside and made his way towards the library. Like before, he stopped to admire the statue in the center of the room. It looked so real to him, as if the woman was turned to marble in that position. She would have had to be much larger than humans though. Looking at the statue gave Demyx an idea; while he spent his time in the library he could look or ask for a book on the woman. Surely they would have one, right?

He glanced around nervously before setting off for the shelves to his right. It was mostly silent, Demyx not having seen any other students yet. There was though the sound of turning pages. Looking down one aisle, the blonde saw a few books move from one spot on the shelf to another, as if organizing themselves. He kept walking until he decided to go down an aisle that didn't have moving books. Unfortunately, he had found himself in the fiction area of the library – judging by the books in front of him – when he was really looking for history.

Sighing he picked up a book and opened the front cover to read its description. Not having interest, he set it down and moved to walk away, but stopped as the book lifted itself from the shelf to go to where he had originally got it from. The book positioned itself neatly in its spot and the one beside it – having fallen over when Demyx took the book – fixed itself. Now the books looked as if Demyx was never even there.

He spent minutes reading the titles of the books and checking the descriptions of the ones that caught his attention. He got used to the books moving on their own soon enough, though he did still find it odd. There was just too much magic around him compared to before when he was the only person he knew that could control magic.

As he reached the end of the aisle, Demyx looked both ways, wondering where he should go next, a voice called out from behind him. "Are you lost, water boy?" he heard Marluxia ask as the teen approached him. Demyx turned around to look at the other, who was dressed the same as earlier, the only difference was the lanyard around his neck. What looked like an id was slipped in the rectangular plastic at the end.

"I asked 'are you lost?'" he said, repeating his question as to get the blonde to answer.

"Yeah, I heard you," Demyx answered, a little more harsh than he intended. "And I think I am. Not like it matters to you."

"It does actually," Marluxia replied as Demyx crossed his arms. "I'm a volunteer here at the library, so unfortunately it's my job to help those like you. Are you here alone?" he asked, now noticing no one else around the area.

"Yeah, why?" the blonde asked in return.

"No reason, I just expected either Axel or Zexion to have come with you," he answered somehow seeming more welcoming with the way he spoke. _It's as if he put down some walls all of a sudden_, Demyx thought to himself. "You're new right? I don't know why they would have let you come here alone."

"They didn't. They don't even know I'm here," Demyx said, earning a raised eyebrow from Marluxia. "Zexion's unconscious," he said slowly, remembering what Axel said. "And Axel and Roxas, well I don't know where they are so I didn't tell them."

"Unconscious? Is he doing that thing with the book?" the pink haired teen questioned. Demyx nodded and he continued, "I see. He always did do that often so it makes sense. You worried me for a moment." Before Demyx could question why, Marluxia said, "So what are you here for? Any specific book?"

Demyx momentarily wondered if Marluxia even noticed what he had said. He pushed the thought away. "I was just looking around, but is there a book on the woman by the front doors? The statue?"

"You mean Lialissa Mirotta?" Marluxia asked. Demyx gave a blank expression, the name not at all familiar. "If so then sorry, we don't have any books on her. She does have a great story, but she died only seven years ago. There's not much we have. Especially since we don't have much valid information to begin with."

"Oh, okay," Demyx said and let his arms fall to his side. "Then can you at least show me how to get out of here?"

"Sure, follow me." With that Marluxia turned away and walked off, Demyx following a short distance behind him.


	5. Books and Questions

Monday came around eventually. Not much had happened over the weekend other than Zexion yelling at Demyx for leaving and him having to wake up to an empty room. Demyx remained silent as his roommate had then gotten into a fight with Axel who had also been in their room by the time he got back. Axel had simply stated that Zexion was a bit over-protected and gets worried easily which in turn had Zexion arguing that he wasn't. The blonde waited until the two were done to explain that he had went to and gotten lost in the library, but was helped out by a volunteer. He made sure not to mention Marluxia's name, not wanting to put Zexion in a bad mood.

So other than that, not much else happened. Zexion took Demyx back to the library to properly show him around since the blonde asked. Demyx also wanted to ask about the woman in the statue, but for some reason remained quiet. There was another statue of her on one of the higher floors in a room used to sit down and read. This one was made out of a black stone Demyx wouldn't know the name of. It was set in a corner, away from the chairs, couches, and tables within the room.

Unlike the other statue, this one had her with her head up, her eyes sharply looking ahead as if watching. She wasn't holding a sword or any other weapon and she didn't have a hint to having wings. Her body was covered by a carved dress that gathered around her feet. Her hands were clasped and held down in front of her. Demyx noticed a silver bracelet with a purple gem around her wrist, but paid no mind to it. The statue was also normal human height. Possibly her natural height, Demyx thought to himself.

While in the room, Demyx paused to look at the books on the few shelves Zexion at his side. The blonde pulled one book out only to find it was damaged, a few pages falling out of it and landing on the floor. Demyx quickly tried to put the cover of the book back in place before moving to pick up the fallen page but was stopped as both the book and the page moved to mid-air. Demyx watched as the tears and folds of the book's cover disappeared and the pages returned to their places – fold and tear free – until the book looked new again.

In awe, Demyx almost missed the book as it fell from the air but managed to catch it. Flipping the book open and turning the pages, he turned to look at Zexion. "So I take it you can fix books?" he asked though he basically already had his answer.

"Yeah," Zexion answered with a sigh. "It's really lame though."

"I don't think so," Demyx replied as he put the book back on the shelf. "So how did you do it?"

"I'm not sure actually. I just know I've always been able to do it since Ansem gave me my weapon."

"And your weapon is a book, right?" the blonde asked, still having yet to see the other's weapon. Zexion gave him a small nod as an answer. "So how exactly do our weapons work? I mean, why are what we fight with the things given to us?"

Zexion paused to understand the other's question before answering. "Ansem finds something valuable to us and gives that as our weapon. That way we know it well as well as how to use it. Others such as Axel and Marluxia already had a weapon of choice before coming here. I'm not sure why he gave me a book. When I asked him he just told me it was because I was fond of them as a child. I don't remember much when I was younger though."

"Really?" Demyx asked a little surprised.

"I can't even remember my own last name before Ansem took me in," Zexion told him. "Come on, we should get back to our room."

Demyx moved to follow him, but stopped as he stepped at something. Looking down he saw it was one of the pages that had fallen out of the book. Kneeling down to pick it up, Demyx looked it over to find small lines of words, but they seemed to be in a foreign language. Seeing as the book had been English he figured that page wasn't part of it at all. Quickly folding it he put it in his pocket before moving to catch up with Zexion, finding him just outside the room waiting.

Once the blonde was by his side, Zexion turned to walk away but was stopped as Demyx spoke. "Do you know the story of Lialissa?" he asked suddenly.

Glancing at the white marble statue before looking at Demyx. "I know some, but not all of it. Ansem never told me it entirely," he answered. "I could tell you what I know, but I think you'd be best asking Ansem himself. He knows it best."

"I don't even know how I'd get the chance to talk to him for that long," Demyx replied, his shoulders slumping with little disappointment.

"He's not as busy as you may think," Zexion told him. "Go see him after classes or over the weekend. He'd enjoy the company, trust me."

"Alright," Demyx said after thinking about it.

* * *

After a few days passed Demyx decided to do what Zexion offered and went to go see Ansem. It took him a while, but he finally found the man's office and after standing there for nearly a minute raised his hand to knock. After knocking it didn't take long for the door to be opened, Demyx now standing in front of Ansem.

"Well hello," he greeted. "Is there something you need?"

"I, uh, yes," Demyx answered slowly. "There's something I wanted to ask."

"Come in then," the man said with a short nod, stepping to the side and holding the door opened for the blonde. Coming into the room, Demyx saw that Namine was also there standing in front of Ansem's desk. "Have a seat if you'd like," Ansem said and gestured to the two small armchairs by the blonde girl as he took his own seat at his desk.

"Hello again," Namine said with a small wave and smile as Demyx came to sit in one of the chairs.

"So you've met," Ansem spoke up from his spot at the desk. "I suppose now I don't have to introduce you two. So Namine, you want to start a petition, is that correct?"

"Yes, that's right," the girl answered. "My friends and I all thought it'd be nice if the school could have a dance like most regular schools do. Certainly others would like it, a majority of the girls here especially. If you could let us do a petition maybe we could get enough signatures you'd let it happen?" she asked hopefully.

"I don't see a need for a petition," Ansem told her. "If a school dance is so common among others than I suppose many students would enjoy it. I'll announce it next week, but I'm putting you and your friends in charge. Can you manage that?"

"Yes, I can!" Namine answered happily. "Thank you!" With that she gave a small and short bow before quickly leaving the man's office.

"So, what was it you wanted to ask me?" Ansem questioned, his attention now on the other teenager in the room.

"Oh, right. I wanted to know about the story of Lialissa," Demyx replied. "Everyone else I asked told me to come ask you about it, saying you know it best."

"Lialissa? I take you've been to the library then," Ansem mused and Demyx nodded in answer. "Why would you want to know about something like that anyway?"

Demyx shrugged before answering. "I'm not sure really, maybe because there's not much else for me to do here. She also seems to be a big deal seeing as there are at least two statues of her in the library. Axel told me her story is pretty good from what he's heard."

Ansem gave a small but noticeable laugh. "That boy tends to over exaggerate things. Surely he is making what he does know of the story a much bigger deal. Only three people know the full story. I am one of them."

"The other two?" Demyx asked, tempting to pry for an answer.

"One is Lialissa's husband and the other a student here," the man answered.

"So will you tell me the story?" the blonde questioned.

"I'm sorry, but no. Not now at least. You're still new to world and the story is not a very pleasant one. I would hate to tell you something like that at this time. I will tell it to you, if you are so hung on knowing, but first promise me this; learn about angels and the transition to becoming a demon, learn what a demon is capable of, learn the different classes of demons. Once you do that then come to me again and I will see about telling you Lialissa's story. Telling it to you may and very well change your perspectives of things around you only because you do not understand them and that will not be good for you and others."

Sighing, Demyx stood up from his seat. "Okay, I understand. Thanks," he said and turned to leave the room.

"One question if you don't mind," Ansem called after him causing him to stop in his tracks. "Was letting a school dance allowed a good idea?"

"Yeah, I'm sure everyone will love it," Demyx answered with a smile and nod. "I know I will." With that he opened the door and stepped out into the hall, hearing Ansem mutter things along the lines of "School dance, what in the world?" before the door fell close.

* * *

On his way back to his dorm room, Demyx found Axel and Zexion in the lounge and walked up to them. Upon seeing the blonde come their side, Axel turned to him and spoke before he could. "So how'd it go? Did he tell you the story?"

"No," Demyx answered with a sigh. "What about the story do you two know?"

"Just that she was an angel turned demon, became extremely powerful, did great things, was murdered, her husband running away in fear," Axel answered. "That's what we were mainly told."

"Pretty much," Zexion agreed with him. "So what did he tell you?"

"That I should learn about demons before going back to ask him again."

"If you want to know about demons," a voice called out to him as Marluxia walked to them, "then just ask Zexion here."

"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not a demon," Zexion told the older teen harshly.

"I wasn't calling you a demon. I was just simply talking about your unnatural way of knowing random and unnecessary things," the pink-haired teen said.

"Like hell you were," Zexion muttered but Demyx still heard him.

"Whatever," Marluxia said before walking away.

"Zexion, there's something I wanted to ask you," Demyx spoke up in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit.

"What is it?" Zexion asked, his voice still a little harsh.

Feeling that his question could wait for a better time, the blonde quickly though of something else he could ask. "Can you help me learn about demons?" he asked.

"Sure, we can start whenever you'd like," Zexion answered, his tone back to normal.

* * *

"So what did Ansem tell you to learn about demons?" Zexion asked as he stood in front of a bookshelf, his eyes scanning the spines of the books. It had been a couple of days since Demyx went to go talk to Ansem. The blonde had asked the day before now if he could have some help finding books. Today was an easier day – school wise – then the one before so the two took advantage of that to check out books at the library.

Demyx expected there to be a section for demons since they played a big role, but he didn't expect the section to be as big as it was. The section was a few aisles altogether and with the height of the bookcases it added a lot more to it compared to usual libraries Demyx had been to before. "I, uh," he started, partially distracted as he flipped threw a book. Seeing some pictures of demons he particularly didn't like he put the book back. "He wanted me to learn about how angels become demons first," he said, now answering the other's question. "Know a book about that?" he asked and glance over to where Zexion stood.

He didn't get an answer. Instead he just watched as Zexion continued to look at the books. He was about to ask again as he started to walk to his roommate, but stopped as a book moved from a shelf higher up and to Zexion's hands. The smaller boy walked to him and handed him the book. "Here, that should have it in the first few chapters," he said.

Demyx took the book slowly and opened it, turning to its contents page. "How'd you know exactly where the book was?"

"I can find a book by using my thoughts to match its content," Zexion answered, seeming almost embarrassed by the fact. "I just think of something and can then find all books matching those thoughts."

"Your powers over books aren't as stupid as you may think," Demyx told him, sensing that was how Zexion felt about them judging by the way he spoke about them as well as the way he averted his eyes from looking at the blonde.

"They are stupid though," he stated as if it was a known fact.

"Maybe to you, but now I know who to go to when I need to find a book," the blonde said with a smile, getting Zexion to look back at him and give a small smile back. "Is there anything else you can do with books?"

Zexion shrugged before holding a hand up. "I can control its movement," he said and as to demonstrate took the book from the blonde's hands, making it float in mid-air and turning its pages. "I think that covers it all."

"So should we go back to our dorm now?" Demyx asked, watching as Zexion let the book fall back into his hands.

"Actually, there's somewhere I want to show you," Zexion told him, his voice quieter than before.

"Okay," the blonde replied with another smile. "Lead the way then."

* * *

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